Rights Groups Decry Deaths and Neglect in Egyptian Prisons

Rights Groups Decry Deaths and Neglect in Egyptian Prisons
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Human rights organizations have raised alarm over mounting deaths and severe neglect inside Egyptian prisons and detention centers, accusing authorities of deliberate medical negligence and denial of basic healthcare. The groups say such practices violate fundamental rights and international standards for prisoner treatment.

Several rights groups—including the Shehab Center for Human Rights, Human Rights Egypt, Justice for Human Rights (JHR), and the Egyptian Network for Human Rights—reported the death of detainee Ahmed Hamid Bashandi, 68, at Abu Zaabal Prison after his health deteriorated.

Bashandi, a former municipal employee, had been detained in 2023 while traveling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah and was facing state security charges. According to the Shehab Center, he suffered an acute intestinal blockage but was denied timely medical treatment before being transferred to Badr Prison Hospital, where he died.

The Egyptian Network for Human Rights also documented the death of another detainee, Khalil Mohamed Abu Heba, allegedly under torture at a police station in El-Mahalla El-Kubra.

The group demanded an immediate and transparent investigation into the incident.
Rights advocates warn that continued deaths from neglect and torture reflect systemic failures in Egypt’s judicial and security systems and call for urgent intervention to safeguard detainees’ lives.